Filenews 3 May 2025 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The implementation of a grandiose protection and immediate response plan to deal with incidents of violence in the family counts down.
The "Elpis" application, which will operate under the responsibility of the Police, is ready and some technical and other issues remain to be clarified, so that it can be implemented.
For the first time, victims of domestic violence, or people in danger, will be able to notify the Police that they are in danger at the touch of a button, without the partner or spouse knowing. It will be a hidden client call to the authorities, which will locate the location from which the notification came and the nearest patrol car will respond immediately.
The operation of this application took shape on the initiative of the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis, who travelled to Greece accompanied by Police experts and was briefed on the corresponding system applied there. The big bet, as "F" is informed, concerns the immediate response that will exist on the part of the Police so that the help arrives in time and at the same time the prospective victims or victims make proper use of this service.
The "Elpis" application has been piloted since the beginning of the year and the Police and Cyta have collaborated with Cyta for the operation of the application and it seems that there have been excellent results since from a technical point of view everything is now ready.
As the head of the Sub-Directorate for the Management of Vulnerable Persons, Evi Nicolaou, told "F", a meeting will be held next Monday under the Minister of Justice in order to discuss the issue, raise and clarify some issues and make decisions. She described the results from the pilot implementation of the project as very satisfactory and as she said:
> The selection of the persons who will be able to download the "Elpis" application on their mobile phone will be made by the Police.
> Not everyone will be able to have this application since it will work with codes.
> At the press of the button, the immediate response mechanism will be activated immediately, so that the nearest patrol car responds.
It is for this reason, Mrs. Michael noted, that those who will have this application on their mobile phone should place the right data in order to receive immediate help. He also explained that only if a woman wishes will she have the app on her mobile phone and its use will be done when there is an emergency. Mrs. Michael also stressed that the operation of this service will be pan-Cypriot and that people who have experienced an incident of violence and have already resorted to the authorities for help will have access to the application. Regarding the incidents of domestic violence that are recorded, the Police officer said that in recent years, unfortunately, we have recorded about 3000 incidents per year. It is noted that for the shortest possible operation of the application, the Minister of Justice exerted a lot of pressure, resulting in it being ready to operate either at the end of May or the beginning of June. As we have been told, it is an easy-to-use and secure platform that will allow victims of domestic violence to report incidents directly to the Police, without having to contact them by phone or visit a police station. This is particularly useful in cases where the victim is unable to contact the competent authorities, due to the presence of the perpetrator in the same place.
For the implementation of the application, the Police, CYTA and the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection collaborated. Each side worked to ensure that this application offered maximum assistance to the victims, giving them a way to communicate with the authorities without having to speak, in an easy way and protecting their identity.
It is worth noting that the "Elpis" application concerns both women and men, who have fallen victim to any form of violence. This application will be available on Google Play and App Store, after securing the codes from the Police.
How the red button will work
As explained to us, the victim's details will be registered on the "ELPIS" platform and an account will be automatically created by the Police. Then, the user will download the application on his mobile phone, activate the location, i.e. the function that allows the sharing of his location and in case of emergency, the user will press the "SOS" button that will be present in the application and the Police will be immediately informed.
As explained to us by the Police, by pressing the red button in the application, a message will be sent to the authorities and within a few minutes, a prospective victim or a victim will receive the help that may save his life. In case the premises from which the SOS signal is sent is located on a floor or apartment, there will be a possibility for clarification through a message.
